A 24-year-old tortoise at the Magnetic Hill Zoo is healthier and happier with his new wheelchair, thanks to the love and assistance of loving Veterinarians and Zookeepers.
Zoo Director Jill Marvin says they started to notice some changes in Sherman back in 2019, including being less active and not eating as well..
“Our Zookeepers spend so much time with the animals, that they can detect these subtle differences. Gradually we noticed he was dragging his hind end and creating a sore,” Marvin says.
She says they did a thorough investigation, “We looked at vitamin deficiencies, parasites. We started looking at the new diet he was on and took blood. It was kind of a game of elimination.”
In December, they took him to UPEI for a CT scan, because he was just too big for any of the Veterinarian clinics.
Sherman is around 80 kilograms.
“They, determined that he had a mass on his spine, close to his lungs, making him uncomfortable and causing him to drag his back end. Turtles are pretty protected, and surgery would be very difficult. They look at various treatments, and they also considered that it could be cancerous,” Marvin says.
Three weeks ago, Marvin says they got very positive news. Another exam found that the mass is not increasing. “That is good news, because if it was cancerous it would likely be growing”
Marvin says they believe the mass may be treatable.
“Now he can put some weight his back legs, and that’s a great improvement from where he was in 2019. The first wheelchair, the placement of the wheels did work properly. Our carpenter got new wheels and moved them higher and that worked perfect for him. He uses his front legs and pushes a little bit with his back legs. He has both a wagon and a wheelchair and firehose straps.” Marvin says.
Sherman isn’t out for the public to see yet, “We’ve been testing Sherman with his cage mate, her name is Penny. We must make sure they get along with his wheelchair. We also must make sure he can get along in his habitat indoors to make sure he can still maneuver around. We take him out every day or second day to get his exercise on the lawn, but eventually we will bring him down to his original exhibit in the Eco dome,” Marvin says.
In captivity, tortoises can live until they are 80 to 100 years old.
“Accredited zoos and really good zoos, in the last 20 years I’ve seen great progress in care. Prothesis in animals, I see it happening more and more. Technology has really helped us. It’s not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I’m very proud of our Veterinary team and animal care team that we found a good solution for Sherman,” Marvin says.
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(Photo: submitted)
